


Alone

by loverbouquet



Category: Fire Emblem Echoes: Mou Hitori no Eiyuu Ou | Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia, Fire Emblem Series
Genre: F/M, Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Just to be safe, Post-Canon, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-02
Updated: 2017-07-02
Packaged: 2018-11-17 05:12:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11268633
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/loverbouquet/pseuds/loverbouquet
Summary: He would never know his family.





	Alone

**Author's Note:**

> #LetAlmGrieve2k17 #GiveAlmAHug2k17

Times of peace may have awaited Valentia, but there was an ongoing war within Alm's mind.

While he had plenty of friends growing up, the only family he had was Mycen. Setting out with the Deliverance meant being separated from that family, but he never anticipated learning of his true lineage along the way. A lineage that didn't even involve Mycen. No, he was actually the son of Emperor Rudolf, the man who played a major role in starting this war. Finding out this information on its own was difficult enough, but Alm was told of this with Rudolf's dying breath. He was responsible for his own father's death, and as leader of the Deliverance, he'd no time for grief.

It didn't stop there.

With news of Rudolf being his father came the realization that Lord Berkut, a man dead set on stopping the Deliverance and claiming Rigel's throne, was his cousin. Despite Berkut's treatment of Alm, he held no resentment towards him. In truth, he wanted to learn more about his cousin; to hear stories of his father from him. All he longed for was to know more about his family. But that would never happen. By the time Alm learned of the truth, Berkut had gone mad. As painful as it was to admit it, the only way to stop this madness was to put an end to his life as well.

It hurt like nothing else, having his family ripped away from him just as quickly as he came to know of it. It hurt worse knowing that his father and his cousin died by his hand. He would never know his family, and he believed it to be his fault. After the war, he tried to keep himself busy as the new king of the recently unified Valentia. However, there were nights when thoughts of Rudolf and Berkut entered his mind; and when they did, it was nearly impossible to think of anything else.

Tonight was one of those nights.

Alm stood in the courtyard, pursing his lips together to quiet the sobs that threatened to escape his mouth. His face was soaked with tears, as he couldn't be bothered to hold them back. He looked down at the ring he held in his trembling hand, causing more tears to flow. Berkut gave him this ring just before his death, and he kept it ever since. It was the only thing he had left of either of them. He tightly shut his eyes, thoughts of what could have been playing through his head as his body shook from the emotion.

"Alm...?"

He looked up to find the source of his name being called. His gaze landed on the gateway to the courtyard when he saw Celica standing in it. Gods, he must have looked so pathetic to her; a grown man (and a king, no less) being in the state that he was in. He turned his head away in shame, wiping away the tears that hadn't already dried with his arm. Celica only grew more concerned for her childhood friend, slowly approaching him until she stood in front of him. She looked down at his hand, seeing the ring that sat in it. From there, she knew what it was that upset him so.

"It's okay to miss them." She crooned, wrapping her gentle hands around his arms and looking up at him.

"But I never even knew them..." Alm sniffled. "At least, not until... not until..."

He couldn't even finish his sentence before sadness overtook him. Any attempt to hold in his emotions was now in vain. Fresh tears spilled from his eyes and his whole body quivered as he sobbed. Celica responded by tightly wrapping her arms around him, resting her chin on his shoulder as he buried his face in hers. She felt her shoulder become wet from his tears, but she cared little about that, so long as she could provide him the comfort he needed in the moment.

"Oh, Alm..." She whispered. "I wish there was something I could do to take your pain away."

He clung tighter to her, his sobs growing heavier in response to her kind words. A small lump formed in Celica's throat, and her eyes burned as tears of her own fell. She softly rubbed his back, moving her head to press her lips to his cheek, tasting the salt from his tears. Alm had been so strong through everything that happened, and it hurt her to know how deeply he was still hurting from the loss he was dealt.

They lingered in each other's arms for a while, even after Alm regained his composure. Something just felt so right about it. It felt warm; it felt inviting. It was something they were both in need of after all of their suffering. When their embrace loosened, they held each other's faces, wiping away each other's tears. Celica let out a small yawn, surprised at how fatigued she was becoming. Alm agreed to let her escort him back to his quarters, figuring he would feel more at ease if he weren't alone. When they got there, she gave him one more hug, turning to leave before he stopped her.

"Wait, Celica. If it's not too much..." He spoke. "Could you... Stay with me tonight?"

She turned back around, smiling at his request. "Anything that will make you happy." She responded. 

He climbed in to his bed, scooting over to give her some room while she walked back over, occupying the space he opened for her. She wrapped her arms around him from behind, grabbing one of his hands with hers while resting her chin on his shoulder. Alm soon began to feel at ease, allowing himself to close his eyes and drift off.

Perhaps the pain of losing his father and his cousin wouldn't heal, but he felt such warmth knowing Celica would be by his side when the weight of it was too much to bear.


End file.
